Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps is a visual reboot that gives a heartfelt tribute to its creators. Among the retro-futuristic splendor lies a blink‑and‑you’ll‑miss‑it cameo: young versions of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby peeking over a drafting board in a Timely Comics office scene.
The actor, Martin Dickinson credited as ‘Timely Employee #1’ confirmed on social media he’s portraying the young Jack Kirby, a delightful nod that fans are applauding.
Fantastic Four First Steps Cameos That Honours Legends
During a sequence featuring the Silver Surfer’s arrival in the film’s Times Square, two background characters glance at a comic drawing, obvious visual stand-ins for Kirby and Lee. Actor Martin Dickinson playing the artist confirmed he is the young Jack Kirby, capturing the creator’s first influences in 1960s comic art.
These cameos serve as affectionate Easter eggs in Earth‑828, the alternate universe named in tribute to Kirby’s birthdate (August 28).
More Easter Eggs and Creative Homages To Creators
Director Matt Shakman and producer Kevin Feige built the film as a celebration of Marvel’s roots. Earth‑828 itself refers to Jack Kirby’s August 28 birthday, visually and narratively anchoring the movie to its creator.
From recreating classic comic pages like the cover of Fantastic Four #1, to featuring Timely Comics inside the world, the movie is a love letter to Kirby’s imagination.
Fans are spotting Lee and Kirby as background figures working on early drafts in the Timely office, sparkling moments of meta‑historical tribute.
Generational connection: The cameo is emotionally layered, setting Marvel’s retro-future within the world those men built.
Subtlety and finesse: Fans appreciate Marvel’s restraint, no overt spectacle, just a fleeting homage that rewards those watching closely.
Complementary to story: This cameo fits the period setting and creative aesthetic, unlike forced in-jokes, adding emotional resonance without breaking tone.
Film site Good Housekeeping highlights this alongside other Easter eggs, noting the rare homage to Kirby himself, not just Stan Lee, and fans celebrated that balancing act.
Fantastic Four First Steps: Story Over Spectacle
Cameos are often playful fan service, but in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, these fleeting images of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee carry weight, symbolizing the creators’ ongoing presence in the worlds they imagined. It’s cinematic winking with heart.
Such subtle tributes speak volumes: even in a modern, polished MCU, Marvel remembers the people who sketched the first lines, and still inspires fans decades later.
If you’ve watched closely, these are moments worth replaying, you may only see them once. But even then, Marvel makes sure you feel them forever.
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